Chapter 68 Pretending to be sick
Today happens to be Saturday, which is the day when Dr. Winfres conducts his free clinic. Charlotte Holmes plans to go to St. Arthenius Hospital to investigate in person.
She had already considered her actions tonight, and had put on simple and patched clothes during the day. Her long platinum hair had also been dyed temporarily black with a sticky potion. At this moment, she took off her windbreaker and stayed in the carriage, and then put some hair on her face. Applying ugly makeup on it is enough to impersonate a woman from a poor family.
When she was about to arrive at St. Arthenius Hospital, she stood up and knocked on the inner wall of the carriage to ask the driver to stop.
The female detective threw out a bag containing loose men's old clothes that she had prepared in advance.
"Put on this suit of clothes. I need you to disguise yourself as a sick poor man and join me in the investigation."
X211 instinctively took the bag, but after hearing the other party's words clearly, he shook his head in panic and said: "Miss Holmes, my duty is just that of a coachman. I am afraid that I am not qualified for this investigator's job, and this is not the case." It’s in line with the bureau’s procedures!”
"Let me ask you, is the mission you received today required to coordinate with all my schedule?"
X211 pondered: "You are right to say that, but..."
Charlotte ordered forcefully: "It's nothing but. You don't need to be responsible for the investigation in this operation. You just need to cooperate with me in concealing your identity and sneaking into the investigation. You still have not overstepped the bounds of the investigator's duties."
X211 said angrily: "Okay, okay, since you said so, Miss Holmes, then I can only accept it."
The female detective nodded with satisfaction, "From now on, your name is Albert Root, and I am your sister Reggie Root. When you were working at the racecourse during the day, you felt severe heart palpitations and couldn't help but feel dizzy. You were dizzy and pale, and it was very difficult to walk. Even if you lay in bed and rested all afternoon, the symptoms were still not relieved. After hearing about it, my sister, Rui Ji, immediately took you to see the rumored hospital. Dr. Winfres is highly skilled and free of charge.”
She confirmed again: "Do you understand?"
"Racecourse—Fore, Miss Reggie, how did you know that I live in the racecourse?"
"Don't worry about it. Have you remembered all the information I just said?"
X211, or should I say, Alvert recalled for a moment, nodded seriously, and replied: "I have written it all down, Miss Richie."
"But the fact is, I don't have the symptoms you mentioned. How should I act without showing any flaws?"
"First of all, my brother will not use the word "Miss" when he calls his sister. Secondly, you should hide the short gun under your ribs a little tighter. Now anyone who is not blind can tell at a glance that you have hidden firearms..."
Alvert had already taken off the standard logistics uniform of the Anti-Suppression Bureau and put on old clothes that still smelled of sweat and horse manure. This made him feel inexplicably friendly. He followed Richie's order and got ready.
"Okay Rikki, what's next?"
"Next...it will be your hard work."
While speaking, the female detective took out a syringe and quickly inserted it into the unsuspecting Alvert's neck. The extra diluted berberine hydrochloride liquid inside was completely injected into the young man's blood vessels without reservation.
Alvert could only feel his heart beating violently and rapidly, like the sound of a drum beating in his body cavity... However, after a few seconds of burst, his heart seemed to be unable to maintain such intense pumping. And becoming exhausted, his heart rate began to drop to debilitating levels.
The blood that had lost the follow-up power supply began to slow down, and Alvert felt a little dizzy. The night in front of him seemed to be filled with golden stars. He felt that his body was not in control, and he stumbled when he tried to retreat. He staggered and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, an arm stretched out from the side to prop him up and prevent him from falling.
"Rikki...Is this also part of your plan...I do feel the symptoms you mentioned...What a good idea!"
The female detective smiled slightly and said apologetically, "Thank you for your hard work, Albert. I will ask my sister to take you to the doctor next."
Reggie, a girl from the racecourse, supported her brother Albert's swaying body and walked with difficulty towards the brightly lit St. Arthenius Hospital.
Unlike Spencer Hobson’s investigative report, less than three months later, the long-abandoned St. Arthenius Hospital became even more bustling.
Even though it was already 11:50 in the middle of the night, there was still an endless queue in front of the hospital. The female detective even saw some neighbors coming out of their homes, holding bags of cooked potatoes and bags in their arms. The kettle-carrier, with a certain pilgrim-like eagerness on his face, made his way to the hospital of St. Arthenius.
In addition to the long queue in front of the hospital, there were also several volunteers who looked like dock workers. They carried bright oil lamps and patrolled in front and behind the queue, not only to illuminate the muddy road in front of the hospital, but also to maintain order on the scene. To avoid chaos, the purpose of the next step is to find out if there are any seriously ill patients in the queue. Once a seriously injured person is found in the queue, they will be immediately taken to the hospital for priority treatment to ensure that Dr. Winfrey's free clinic time is used up. On the masses who are in desperate need.
The female detective was a little surprised when she saw this scene... It seems that Dr. Winfrey's free clinic activities have developed to a certain scale, just like a private clinic open for business.
Not long after she appeared in front of the hospital with her brother Albert on her back, volunteers patrolling back and forth immediately discovered the pair of siblings who were in serious condition, and quickly brought a stretcher to take the pale man to the hospital.
The female detective was able to quickly follow her into the interior of the hospital. During the process, she even had time to look at the people in line and the group of dock workers who seemed to be voluntary helpers.
The injured and injured patients in the queue nodded to her in a very friendly manner, and seemed not to care at all about the siblings' queue-jumping behavior.
And that group of muscular volunteers worked together in an orderly manner. It was definitely not a spur-of-the-moment action. They must have received certain coordination and scheduling training behind the scenes.
The female detective was also observing this long-abandoned hospital. Temporary oil lamps were hung in the clean corridors at the moment, but the other department rooms seen on the road were still old and dilapidated, with thick dust accumulated inside. This whole hospital is still in a long-term neglected position, and it only becomes intermittently popular every Saturday.
She walked all the way into the medical treatment hall mentioned in the investigation report. It was now very clean, with not even a trace of spider webs left in the corners. The broken windows had been reinstalled with unobtrusive blinds, and even the blue and purple paint that had peeled off had been replaced. The walls were also repainted with solemn colors.
This brand-new blue-purple hall is simply incompatible with this decadent hospital where mysterious incidents occurred. Just like the free doctor in front of Dr. Winfrey, he is also incompatible with the cold and dark city of London.
Let’s move on to Sherlock Holmes in parallel, and return to Watson tomorrow.